K-P mountain districts to get building codes

In view of the increasing environmental fragility, unregulated construction, and the critical need for climate-responsive and culturally appropriate development in the mountain regions of the province, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has directed constituting a Working Group to come up with guidelines to properly regulate construction-related matters in the mountainous areas of the province.

The Chief Minister's Secretariat has issued a formal letter to Additional Chief Secretary, Planning and Development to constitute and lead a Working Group having membership of the concerned administrative secretaries, heads of the concerned entities and experts of the field.

The letter suggests studying and recommending the adaptation and institutionalization of the 'Mountain Architecture Guidelines'- a research work authored by one Dr Zahra Hussain for implementation in K-P.

The letter highlights that the above-mentioned pioneering work presents a contextually grounded, climate-responsive, and culturally sensitive architectural approach tailored to Pakistan's mountain regions, developed through extensive community engagement, academic research, and technical validation.

It adds that the guidelines offer practical strategies on sustainable built form, passive solar design, cultural landscape preservation, material use, visitor management, and integration with local economies and ecosystems; and is considered a master guiding framework for harmonizing environmental stewardship, tourism infrastructure, and vernacular wisdom.

The letter further suggests that the Working Group deliberate on how the proposed principles of the aforementioned research work could be customized, adapted, institutionalized, and legally adopted for the mountainous districts of K-P in accordance with provincial laws, planning frameworks, and operational realities.

As per the Terms of Reference outlined in the letter, the Working Group shall review and customize the Mountain Architecture Guidelines in accordance with the climatic, cultural, and architectural realities of the province, formulate a legal and regulatory integration plan including necessary amendments to the relevant rules and regulations, identify and propose institutional mechanisms for approval, monitoring and enforcement through local authorities, recommend phased rollout strategies, and develop a liaison with national and international development partners for technical and financial support.

The Working Group has been directed to submit its comprehensive recommendations and proposed implementation plan within sixty days to the Chief Minister.

On Friday, the Chief Minister, as a major initiative aimed at promoting mountain agriculture in the province, had decided to formulate a dedicated policy for mountain agriculture.

The Chief Minister's Secretariat has formally sent an official letter, along with a concept paper, to the Agriculture Department with direction to finalize the draft of the proposed 'K-P Mountain Agriculture Policy' based on the concept paper, and present the same to the competent forum for approval within 45 days.